Duterte says then-rapists victimize ‘beautiful’ women ‘worth dying for’

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the Ceremonial Signing of the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) in Malacañan Palace on December 19, 2017, gives assurance that the 2018 national budget and the TRAIN are initial steps to curb poverty in the country. REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Illustrating the effects of illegal drugs on the addicts, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said drug-influenced rapists before chose to victimized beautiful women who are “worth going to jail and worth dying for,” citing as example an actress who was abducted and raped in the 1960s.

In his speech after singing the first tax reform package and 2018 national budget into law, Duterte brought up the ill effects of illegal drugs on the actions of the rapists then and now.

“And you know what? May I be forgiven by Maggie dela Riva. During our time, ang nire-rape doon… ‘yung magaganda (those who were raped before were the beautiful ones),” the President said. “Worth going to jail and worth dying for,” he added.

Dela Riva, a young Filipina actress in 1967, was kidnapped and raped by four men belonging to elite families. The young actress was taken to a hotel where she was sexually assaulted by the drug-crazed men namely Jaime Jose, Edgardo Aquino, Basilio Pineda Jr., and Rogelio Canal.

One of the rapists, Canal, died in prison due to drug overdose in 1970, while the rest were executed by electric chair in 1972.

“Kaya nga electrocuted man ‘yun sila. Well, ‘yun ang kabayaran (That’s why they were electrocuted. Well, that’s the punishment),” Duterte said.

The President said that drug users in modern times rape just about anyone, including babies.

“I cannot imagine now modern times… pati ‘yung one-month-old na bata (even one-month-old infants are being raped),” he said.

The Chief Executive reiterated his warning that he would target drug suspects who “destroy” the country and its youth.

“If you make three million of my country as slaves to a chemical called shabu, you will really make me feel bad. And shabu, one of the immediate and long-term use, shrinks the brain of a person,” he stressed.

In July, Duterte jested that he might condemn someone who has the guts to commit rape, even knowing that he might be executed later. In that speech, he said that it is okay to sexually assault a Miss Universe but he would not allow anyone who would mess with children.

During campaign season in 2016, Duterte caused outrage for his comment about rape and murder of an Australian missionary in Davao City in 1989. He said that the missionary resembled an actress and that as a mayor he should have been the first.